


'Ice to meet you

by HappyJester



Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: 90s, A certain someone is alive, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, College_Veronica, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jdronica(mentioned), Mental Breakdown, Psychological Trauma, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27411703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyJester/pseuds/HappyJester
Summary: After a hard day of college at Harvard, Veronica Sawyer decides to visit a friend. On the way, she goes to 7 eleven, cries, and talks with a 7 eleven employee.
Relationships: Jason "J. D." Dean/Veronica Sawyer
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	'Ice to meet you

_October 18th, 1992_

_Dear Diary, today has been interesting...who am I kidding, it sucked ass. I HATE psychology. A D? Really?_

Veronica's pen poked a hole through the paper of her diary. She groaned, skipping to the next line.

_Smart kids who graduate at the top of their classes don't get D's in Psychology. Hell, they also don't C's in Forensic Science. But here I am, Veronica Sawyer, the girl who read during recess and memorized Shakespeare quotes, is on the verge of failing her classes. Yay me._

Veronica put her diary and pen beside her and flopped backwards on her bed. She stared at the ceiling of her apartment in thought. She remembered her first day of senior year. "College will be paradise if I'm not dead by June" she once said. She remembered counting the days before her graduation and hopping for joy when she received her acceptance letter to Harvard. It seemed as though fantasizing about college was more fun than actually being in college. 

"So Veronica, how will you spend your lonely Friday night?" she said to herself, still staring at the ceiling. When all your friends go separate ways following there hopes and dreams, talking to yourself is sometimes the only option. "Maybe by not being lonely?" she said looking at her cordless phone on her night stand. "Maybe I can call Martha? She goes to MIT, and isn't too far. I'll just give her a heads up..." . She grabbed the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

Just hearing the voice of her best friend was already bringing up her mood. "Hey Martha, It's V, you doing anything tonight?"

"Hey Ronnie! And no, I'm not doing anything. Why do you ask?" Martha sounded happy. She always had a sort of "Glass half-full" attitude that seemed to make even the most rainy days sunny and cheerful.

"I'm just...completely drained from my classes right now. I wanted to know if I could come over and just forget this week?" Veronica played with a tuft of her hair behind her ears.

"Of course you can! Heck, you can spend the night!" A smile spread across Veronica's face as Martha said those words. Maybe time with friends will distract her from her failure.

"Thanks Martha! I'll bring snacks!" Veronica said as she slammed the phone back on the receiver. She pumped her fist up before falling back on her bed. She missed hanging out with her best friend in the whole wide world. Those nights of hanging out, eating popcorn, and watching the Princess Bride for the 50th time in a row, were memories she cherished. Veronica reached for her diary and pen.

_Thank GOD I have Martha. Even three years later, after everything, she 's still excited to just talk and be friends. Perhaps I should call the other Heathers and see how they're doing. Sure, they probably can't visit in such short notice from Ohio State...but hey, friends are friends. I wonder how everyone else from high school is doing..._

Veronica stopped herself from completing that sentence. Nope. Too far. No way. Just the mention of anything more than a surface level look of her senior year will send an avalanche of memories that she does not want to cry about right now. Frankly, she wishes most of her senior year could be blotted out of her mind. What's the point of remembering...all of that? It's not like she can tell anyone about anything that took place. And it's not like she enjoyed what happened. Don't pick at the scab, unless you want there to be blood painfully pouring out the wound. 

Veronica shook her head before she dropped her pen in her diary and closed it. "Alright, spend some time at Martha's....damn, do I have any snacks?" She got off from her bed and looked for something she could bring to Martha's. Nothing.

"Damn it. No snacks." She shrugged it off and grabbed her keys and purse. Before walking out, she went to the bathroom and looked at herself. Sweatpants and a blue Harvard hoodie which covered up her slightly messy brown hair. She didn't look terrible, but not exactly her best. "Meh, it's Martha. She won't care." She grabbed a comb before walking out the door of her apartment.

**********

"Now, where can I find some snacks?" she said driving her way to Martha's. What would she get anyways? Maybe some Red Vines, some M&Ms, skittles...screw it, maybe just buy a hot dog or something. Veronica knew she should've just asked Martha before hand, but it's too late now. "Well Vee, it's just you and your thoughts until we arrive at a store. What's on your mind" she said to herself. "Well Veronica, I don't feel like complete trash for doing bad in my classes anymore. After all, hanging out with friends is just what the doctor ordered...even if I don't have a doctor." she replied to herself. She stopped talking and wondered if a doctor would recommend having full length conversations with yourself as opposed to therapy.

Ehh, probably not. She shrugged and continued. "Well remember, life isn't all about grades and stuff. How about those friends of yours?" Veronica snickered at her own comment. "Jeez, I sound like my parents...But I guess I did work myself a bit too hard. Sure I had Martha and my parents, but I never had many friends until Sen-nope, nope, nope." She stopped saying her sentence as she stopped at a red light.

"Don't even mention that year." she told herself. Sure, she made friends and eventually made Westerburg High a better and less toxic place. But at the cost of her sanity for the remainder of the year. More friends meant more people asking "Are you okay?" every time she stared into space, as though she was in deep thought. More people who gave her weird looks whenever she stared a bit too long at a slushie machine, or any cold icy drink for that matter.

"Remember when you couldn't even touch milkshake without your body creating an earthquake?" She thought out loud. After those couple months of high school, she lost the taste for cold drinks all together. That numbing feeling when she would get a brain freeze would send chills down her spine and send her through a flurry of memories and mixed emotions. It would petrify her, almost like being trapped in a winter not-so wonderland of sad memories. Just thinking about it now, makes her want to throw up.

The blare of a car horn wakes Veronica up from her trance as she notices the green light. She continues driving, wanting to just forget. Her eyes shift towards her mirrors as she sees the car behind and beside her. "I wonder if they saw me talk to myself?" she asked herself. The person beside her must have saw how crazy she looked. "They wouldn't be the first to notice..." she told herself. She knew people started looking at her funny ever since …that thing happened. Students either thought she was a bit odd or just felt sorry for her. Having your "best friend" commit suicide would affect anyone's mental health and people often assumed that was why she would get so aloof sometimes. As long as they didn't ask questions...

"Where's JD? I thought you two were dating?" Veronica said to herself in her best Heather McNamara Voice. As soon as she said that sentence she started shaking. Memories started flooding. The tick-tick-tick of her turn signal sent her back...she shook her head, realizing where she was. "Oh...a 7/11, how very..." she groaned. "Do I really have to go in here? I could just go to another store...confront my demons another time when I'm just a little stronger. " She said that as she pulled into a parking spot. She groaned again as she looked at the structure and those familiar neon signs. "I'll just be in and out. Very quick..." She said as she got out of her car and onto the black pavement. She put her keys in her pocket and carried her purse, breathing in and out. "Calm down Ronnie, it's just a convenient store. You're stronger than a convenient store. You eat convenient stores for breakfast." she said pumping herself up. "Yeah, bring it on store! You don't scare me!" she said walking up to the store. She punched the glass and winced in pain. "Okay, Veronica-zero, 7/11-one...maybe I shouldn't pick fights with convenient store chains." She said groaning. She looked around to see if there was anyone seeing her slowly lose her sanity. No one was here. "I'll just go in now.." she said, finally entering.

**********

Veronica walked in and looked around in awe. It felt like coming out of a time machine. The same lights, the same linoleum aisles, the same cheesy pop music. It felt so familiar. She realized she hadn't been in a 7/11 for 3 years. Usually someone else would go in her stead when they saw how uncomfortable she would get around one. She would start fidgeting, start sweating, start getting anxious. She looked down at her legs to realize she was fidgeting right now. She put her hands in her hoodie pocket and looked for some snacks. 

Red Vines, M&Ms, pretzels, et cetera, et cetera and more et cetera. So many options, what would be best? Did Martha have snacks? Whatever, just get something and leave. What to get? What to get? Skittles, Nerds, Air-heads, jeez pick something already. Anything. Martha will be happy with anything. Veronica's eyes raced the aisles, looking for anything. Now-or-Laters, Push pops, lollipops..

Corn Nuts. BBQ Corn nuts. She stared at the bag. "It's not a party without corn nuts" Veronica said in her best Heather Chandler impression. Why did she like these anyways? She took the bag and just stared at the nuts. "Ehh, why not?" She grabbed a pair of Corn nuts and a bag of Red Vines before walking down another aisle. She looked around for more snacks, but it's just the same things. She looked at the bag of nuts again, almost reminiscing. "Those were a nice three weeks. Sure she was a dick sometimes...but she was still my friend." she said to herself. Veronica took a long sigh. Maybe if she thinks hard enough, she can imagine Heather honking her horn, yelling at her to hurry up. Anything to just get out of here. Suddenly, the whir of a machine sends her back to reality.

A slushie machine. Great. She stared at it for a bit. Some employee was getting themselves a slushie. Veronica cleared her throat. The employee turned around to see who it was. It was that customer that punched the glass window and kept staring into space. "Weirdos do usually come at night...eh, I don't know her story." the employee thought. He didn't really have a right to judge. He squinted slightly, almost as if he recognized her for a quick second, before returning to his slushie. His thick scarf, black as night, covered up to his nose so he had to awkwardly lift his scarf up a tiny bit to suck on the straw. 

**********

"Uh, hello." Veronica smiled awkwardly and waved slightly. The employee gave a two finger salute, his brown eyes unchanging. Veronica's expression eased, going back to her unimpressed look. "Can I use the machine or you gonna drink it all?" she pointed to his almost comically big cup of slush. "Help yourself darlin" He got out the way before doing an exaggerated bow and motioning to the machine. "Everyone needs their slushie fix." The scarf muffled his voice but Veronica could understand him. She walked up to the machine, taking it all in. This is it. The final boss. The final exam. The final...something or other. Veronica rolled her eyes. "It's just a slushie machine, chill out, me." She let out a quick laugh. "Heh, 'chill' out". 

She grabbed a small cup and looked at the device. "Wild Cherry, Blue Raspberry or Coke? Hmm, decisions..." she said to herself. "I could also mix them together, so there are many possible combinations..." She said. When you had an ex....no...no...no.....when you knew someone that really liked slushies, it really opened a world to many flavors.

"I take it they don't teach you about slushies in Harvard?" The employee laughed under his scarf. "Ah yes, cause people sue each other over slushies ALL the time." Veronica said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Lets do Cherry-Raspberry mix and shake it up a little." She put the the cup under each of the choices and got a perfect blend of the two flavors. She grabbed a straw and put it in her cup. She eyed the cup. "Why did I get this thing? " she asked herself. Sentiment? For the ol' days? To prove something? Why did she get those Corn Nuts too? Why did she even go to 7/11? She knows it will hurt her. It does hurt her. She wants to leave RIGHT NOW, but...doesn't want to. Otherwise, she wouldn't have came in the first place. "Ugh, I got this thing. So I might as well drink it." She said. "Hey, Mr. Employee man? If I have a mental breakdown, am I kicked out for life?"

"It depends." He says nonchalantly, pretending like he didn't see her become a sweating, fidgeting mess.

"It's fine either way. Welp, here we go." she said. Pressing the plastic straw to her lips, she sucked. The flavored ice traveled through the straw and into her mouth. 

Memories flood in. One after one like a slide show.

Cuddling, kissing, killing.

Memories sad but some so thrilling. A scared girl hiding away as a madman banged the door. Darkness. Then light. A room full of heat, filling her with fright.

A gun pointed toward her. 

BANG. It's cold. It's like she's back at the 7/11. A boy in a trench coat is drinking a slushie. He starts coughing, a mix of blue slush and blood spewing from his lips. He collapses, blue liquid dripping from his mouth. Everything starts collapsing around her. She hears ticking. Every tick seems to make everything shake. Are the walls melting? Tick. Tick. She braces for the boom.

Instead of the boom, a dull pain comes over her body, temporarily stopping the madness. Veronica feels a hand on her shoulder, she jumps and moves backwards. "STAY AWAY!" she screams. She realized that the hand wasn't from the madman trying to kill her, but from an employee wearing a 7/11 hat and an oversized scarf. He moves back, some concern in his eyes. "Sorry, sorry. You just seem like you're going through a lot and um-" he stopped. Veronica realized that she had been crying. She looked around to see everything the same before the freak-out. "How long was I...out of it?" she said. She walks toward the counter. "A couple minutes..." the guy went back to behind the counter. He did have a job after all.

"Why did I even come here?" she said out loud. She put her stuff on the counter and opened her purse. "Look, sorry I scared you back there." the guy scanned the items and the priced showed up on the screen. "No, I'm sorry I worried you. It's not your fault I'm damaged." She grabbed some money and gave it to him. He leaned on the counter. "So...not to be intruding... but what is your damage?" he said. He fidgeted a bit. He was never good with comforting people. Veronica looked at him, brown eyes meeting darker brown. She looked away and thought. "It's a long story, that I really don't want to divulge into. But, it had to do with an ex, suicide, and a lot of angst bullshit. " she said.

"So...if you knew you would get hurt, why did you come?" he said. "I don't know scarf-boy. Closure? Maybe I'm a masochist or something." she chuckled, shaking the slushie a bit in her hands. "One, it's cold in here. And... have you considered talking to someone...and not a random 7/11 employee? " He mused. Veronica shook her head. "Ah yes. A qualified stranger instead of an unqualified stranger...it's real heavy stuff that...I don't exactly feel comfortable saying to anyone" Veronica looked away. No way could she tell anyone the details about what really happened. "Well, my past isn't exactly rosy. But you don't have to tell them everything. Besides, it's not good to bottle up everything. Unless you want...all of this to happen again." his gloved hands did a motion, gesturing to her. He used the same hand to give Veronica her change. "But hey, that's just my two cents." he said smirking.

"Ha Ha." She said deadpan as she took the change and put in her purse. "Eh, I guess I don't want a repeat of that. Besides, school is getting to me...maybe not a therapist, but maybe I can talk to some friends more..." She said. She jolted. "I forgot, I'm going to meet a friend!" She put her slushie down and grabbed her bag of snacks. "Thanks Mr. Employee kid!" she smiled. "You can call me...Jay." he hesitated but Veronica didn't seem to notice. 

"Well, nice to meet you-" She stuck out her arm to shake his hand, only to knock over her mostly full slushie on his gloved hand. He chuckled. "It's 'ice to meet you too." "Sorry! I'll clean it up!" she was about to look for some paper towels but Jay shook his head. "No worries, you have a friend to go to." he said. Veronica nodded. "Thank you...and it's Veronica by the way. " She started walking back to the entrance. "Thank you for coming to 7/11. I hope you found the service adequate. Please come again" he said with a smirk. "You don't have to, it's just a formality " She chuckled at the comment. "Thanks again, Jay. Maybe I will..." She walked out, still a bit rattled. Was it good to come here? She didn't know. But hey, at least she made some progress.

**********

Jay looked as the girl left. He sighed before returning to his hand. He lifted his arm from the table and took off one of his gloves. He put the glove aside, before looking at his hand. Burnt dark, contrasting from most of his body. He started walking to the bathroom for some paper towels. "Okay Veronica, maybe three years is a bit too short to meet again..."

"One day perhaps..."

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic on here. Neato. It may become something longer, but I'll keep it like it is for now.
> 
> Comments, critique, etc. are all welcome. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
